Bear with me, excuse my rambling. This is a bit of an uncooked idea:

"Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them." --Margaret Atwood

We can argue which is more reasonable to fear - which is worse vs. which is more likely to happen - but that's been done. What's more important if we want to understand why so many man snap and turn into TRPs, imo, is to take men's fear seriously - as insignificant it seems juxtaposed to being murdered. It's true, I think, in day to day life men don't fear women as violent actors but they are often greatly intimidated by them! Maybe that's worth examining if we want to understand why TRP exists.

Women cause feelings in men that men can't act upon. I'm not talking about rape impulses like evo-psych nutters but even just wanting to look at a pretty woman is a feeling a man has to fight every day. Some take this farther than others. Some are afraid of talking to women, some can talk with women just fine but are shying away from subjects they would have no problem discussing with men. Some just can't deal with women romantically, make romantic intentions known, etc. Nice Guys tend to think they're being "good" if they pine secretly! That's why there is this belief that women only want bad guys. "Bad guys" don't care about these conventions and just openly tell M'Lady that they're interested. Not exactly "bad" but to a Nice Guy that's already an affront against their conception of chivalry.

The fear these men feel is:

• having feelings for women they can't help having
• being found out (failing to control these feelings or unintentionally overstepping their bounds in a situation where they thought they were ok)
• being punished

It's why TRPs are so afraid of False Rape Allegations. We joke that it's because they're rapey creeps but I think they're just buckling under this pressure and being accused of rape is the culmination, the absolute apex of their fear.

In reality, they may just feel the sting of a woman's sigh as she's trying to get rid of them. Or the social weariness of their female acquaintances when they're hitting on too many of them. Or a negative reaction when they're caught staring. Or a woman moving away a couple of inches when they sit next to them on the bus. But if you boil all this down to the basic components and then crank it up to eleven, you get the fear of a False Rape Allegation.

This pressure is what TRPs identify as "Feminism".

It's important to note that that's no more actual feminism in the sense of the feminist movements or feminist academia than the "Patriarchy" is an actual consortium of Patriarchs who dictate cultural policy. It's an oppressive force named after the vague societal direction it's perceived to be coming from.

It's a completely reasonable social convention not to stare at people and make them uncomfortable, for example. That's not the iron fist of "Feminism" squashing the male gaze but that's what it feels like to TRPs.

Most men know how to deal with their feelings so they don't become problems. I don't have to tell every striking woman on the subway that I love how she has her hair or that her jacket rocks..

Some men, however, fucking snap and turn into TRPs.

They "fight back" against this "Feminism" and it's oppressive rules. They know it's wrong to push past resistance and rape. They know it's wrong to intentionally make your partner jealous to manipulate them into trying to bond more. They know it's wrong to turn into an emotionally distant asshole meat-head. They know it's wrong to slut-shame and objectify women. They know it's wrong to conduct a relationship like a pimp. They know exactly it's against the rules! They just think these rules are arbitrary, oppressive rules coming from the big nebulous monster "Feminism" and are thus to be broken in the enlightened TRP-man's struggle for freedom!

"Sexual strategy is amoral" is a core tenet of TRP. I think they know full well that their repugnant advice is decidedly immoral but they reject morality as "Feminist" oppression! Which is why anyone who argues moral points is dismissed as an indoctrinated "SJW".

My questions are:

Do you think this hypothesis holds water and can it be a basis on which to reach TRPs?

I see two promising prongs for this:

a) explain that feminism isn't the enemy! Feminism isn't "Feminism" and "Feminism" isn't nefariously anti-men but for the most part just the Golden Rule in action. Maybe explain that women suffer many of the same anxieties, e.g. not wanting to be caught staring at micro-crushes, not wanting to be creepy with compliments, having to keep their sexuality hidden, etc.

b) teach them acceptable outlets for their pent up feelings! I.e. the often requested "alternative to TRP": When are compliments appropriate? How can I make one that causes good feelings? How can I give people an out if I want something from them? How can I satisfy my need to be close with women, i.e. become someone they want around, feel safe with - so that I, in turn, can feel safe and confident around women as well! As opposed to TRP's hit-and-run pump-and-dump tactics where you're just stealing bite-sized "closeness" from the enemy camp in nightly raids, so to speak, but in turn you're alienating yourself from the feeemale species even more and you constantly have to be on your guard around them.. Alleviate pressure in day to day life, not just in the sexual arena!